There’s something about SpongeBob SquarePants that I’ve never been able to understand: why is he so polarizing? I personally like the little yellow sponge, so it’s not hard for me to understand why other people do, too. Like any long-running show, it’s had its misses, but overall, I think it is a really enjoyable show. What I don’t get is why there are almost an equal number of people who despise him. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
From my perspective, SpongeBob carries on the tradition started by the earliest cartoons of Disney, Warner, and Fleischer. It’s comic, surreal, and employs cartoon physics. It stars a bevy of distinct, idiosyncratic characters. It’s well produced, but not too polished. And is written on multiple levels such that children and adults can both enjoy it but for different reasons.
And yet, for some reason, those are the very attributes that a lot of people cite when they claim to hate SpongeBob. I can understand some of the things that might put someone off. SpongeBob has a high-pitched, nasal voice that is pretty much meant to be annoying. And yet, some of that description fits Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse. So, in those cases, maybe the people just don’t like cartoons?
Then there are the made-up controversies:
Not long ago, the University of Virginia stirred up some undersea controversy by publishing a study declaring that SpongeBob makes kids dumb. More specifically, they claimed it shortened attention spans, though how you gauge a preschooler’s attention span is beyond me. I don’t intend to argue the merits of the study. I just think it’s silly to lob such criticism against a show that is clearly not meant to be educational.
This controversy originated way back in 2005 when the Muppets, Barney, Jimmy Neutron and several other children’s icons besides the yellow sponge starred in an animated music video for Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” For some reason, Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family decided this constituted homosexual propaganda and zeroed in SpongeBob in particular. Since then, this accusation has been kept alive with people citing things like SpongeBob’s fastidious nature, his high-pitched voice, his physical weakness, his love of bubbles, and his *gasp* friendship with another male all as signs of homosexuality. Basically, they are saying that, because SpongeBob fits the most unflattering of homosexual stereotypes, he must be pro-gay. Yeah, that wasn’t really thought through.
Late last year, Nickelodeon aired a special called “SpongeBob, You’re Fired” wherein the polygonal protagonist loses his job. His chronically jobless buddy, Patrick Star, attempts to show SpongeBob the benefits of “glorious unemployment” such as free time and free food. But SpongeBob insists he can only be happy when he’s working, and eventually gets his old gig back. This, of course, made him a conservative hero, but also earned the ire of welfare champions, minimum wage earners, and the like.
So, what are your thoughts on SpongeBob? Love him or hate him?
21 comments:
I don't hate him. I don't watch him regularly but whenever I have watched him I've been thoroughly entertained.
The only exception was the movie. I never cared much for it.
Used to hate him but during a cold spell last fall my family and I caught a few episodes. Not as dumb as I thought. I can see the draw.
I like Sponge Bob. That show was one of the last reasons for me to watch tv at all. These "controversies" would be funny if they weren´t sad.
I´m not gay or marxist and my attention span was already ruined. But then I liked Ren and Stimpy, so maybe I´m just a weirdo.
Kit, agreed. The movie felt like it was trying too hard to be something big, but it never amounted to more than a TV special in terms of story or quality. I think they just got caught up in the fervor to put every small-screen cartoon on the big screen (see also: The Simpsons Movie)
Koshcat, you may have hit something. SpongeBob has a reputation built on controversies that cause a lot of people to avoid it; yet they still claim to know "all about" SpongeBob.
Gordo, I also see SpongeBob as also carrying forward some of the traditions of Ren and Stimpy--especially the gross-out still which the latter show perfected.
Since you brought up older NickToons, did you ever watch Rocko's Modern Life? I loved that show, too, which makes sense since many of the production team eventually regrouped to do SpongeBob.
Tyranmax,
I thought The Simpsons Movie was pretty good. Certainly far better (and funnier) than the Spongebob movie.
Tryanmax - I must admit I've never seen the show, so my comments would be coming from just what I read from this post. However, it seems as if the spongebob "haters" are people who want everything to conform to some sort of agenda.
Kit, just my opinion. To me, The Simpsons Movie just felt like a really expensive way for the TV show to transition to a wide-screen HD format. But I will cede that, story wise, it was sort of a back-to-basics for the franchise. Too bad it didn't bleed back to the small screen.
Jed, agreed. Like Gordo said, the controversies are more sad than funny. It's one thing to say you don't go in for SpongeBob because X, Y, or Z. It's a disturbingly different thing to fuel your political agenda off of hatred for an "imperfect" cartoon sponge.
Just for clarification, my initial dislike had to do with short glimpses not to any controversy (I didn't realize there was one). It seemed loud, violent, and dumb. There is satire but it is somewhat more subtle and fun. The episode I remember the best is when Bob entered his pet snailin a show and the animals revolted.
I discovered Spongebob on vacation - the only time when the kids have access to cable TV. I thought he was hilarious and for a while he was a family favorite on Netflix - gone now. I particularly liked the twists on cartoon physics made necessary by the show's location at the bottom of the sea.
I never knew there was any kind of controversy until one of my daughters mentioned that she had friends who were not allowed to watch it. The reason: the name of the town is "Bikini Bottom."
When you're wrapped that tightly around the axle, ain't nuthin' gonna get you offa it.
Koshcat, I get you now. But you made a good inadvertent point. I think it's the very, very rare show that can capture your attention in a few short moments. Things like the open scene of LOST. Most everything else requires a little more investigation.
KRS, If SpongeBob didn't arrive during my college years, I would have probably never watched it. I never had cable at home growing up and I don't have it now. It does suck that they took SpongeBob off of Netflix. I may have to switch to Amazon Prime.
My favorite episode is "Band Geeks" b/c I was one. I think that ep. won over just about every band nerd who saw it.
On the "Bikini Bottom" thing... yeah, I don't know what you do about those folks. Case in point, my cousins weren't allowed to watch the Simpsons, but my brother and I were. I don't think we turned out substantially different in any way. Let the little stuff go.
I think Spongebob is a funny, creative cartoon, but for whatever reason, I can take or leave it (when my daughters want to watch it, I watch it and enjoy if, but never watch it on my own).
Anthony, I can't say that I go out of my way to watch SpongeBob, but with two little one, I do still see quite a bit. (More when it was on Netflix.) I just find it amazing that such an innocuous show can generate so much controversy.
I think sometimes it's in our nature to overanalyze things and we find meaning where none existed, insult where none intended and conspiracy where stupidity is the better explanation. When we overanalyze, the fun goes away.
I remember one of my English teachers in college was acting bummed one day and he confided that another student had stopped after class and told him that, when he originally read the assignment, he thought it was a good story, but after they had analyzed it in class, the student decided he didn't like it anymore. The teacher asked me what I thought and I said he took all the fun out of the story by analyzing it to death. Stories are not meant to be treated that way.
Anything can trip us into overanalyzing, but I think suspicion is the biggest bait. If we suspect someone is trying to slip in a message, we'll comb through it until we find it - like making shapes out of clouds. That's not to say messaging doesn't exist, but it is rarely subtle.
About the only thing I can think of that you can analyze to death and not get bored by the exercise is sex.
KRS, All I can say is that you've clearly not met the same women I have. Agree with everything else, though.
Giggady
tryanmax, I did see some of Rocko´s Modern Life and liked it too. I had no idea the same people were behind it.
I am not a fan of Spongebob, I used to but now I don't like him because the show is very annoying.
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